Bethany to Present Acclaimed Author Danielle Evans

BETHANY, W.Va. — Bethany College will welcome Danielle Evans, author of the acclaimed story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, on Wednesday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Renner Art Gallery.

Evans, a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop who is currently teaching literature and creative writing at American University in Washington, D.C., was recently named as one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35,” a collection of the country’s five most talented writers under the age of 35. Her short fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, The Best American Short Stories in 2008 and 2010, and New Stories from the South.

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, which was a co-winner of the 2011 PEN American prize for best first fiction, has received high praise from The New York Times, Essence, People, Entertainment Weekly, O Magazine, and many other publications. Time Magazine says of the novel, “Evans’ blisteringly smart short stories offer fresh perspective on being young and black in America. From a vandalizing valedictorian to a rejected biracial child, her characters triumph by surviving without forgetting.”

This event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the event with books for sale courtesy of Words & Music Bookstore in Wheeling, W.Va.

Bethany College is a small college of national distinction located on a picturesque and historic 1,300-acre campus in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Founded in 1840, Bethany is the state’s oldest private college.